Do you know how many times I've died or nearly died? Most of those times were at the hands of people I thought were my friends. I'm sorry, not people... vampires. Don't give me the "we're not all like that" speech, Elena, because you are. I can't say I hate vampires and then use them when it's to my advantage.

Matthew G. "Matt" Donovan is a main character on The Vampire Diaries. He is the son of Kelly Donovan. He was born and raised in the town of Mystic Falls. Matt is the ex-boyfriend of both Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert, as well as the younger brother of Vicki Donovan. After the death of Elena's parents, Elena broke up with Matt because she lost interest in him, although Matt still cares about Elena deeply and they've managed to maintain a good friendship. At the beginning of the series, Matt struggles with his sister, Vicki, because she becomes a vampire but then tragically dies. He begins dating Caroline Forbes and encourages her to become a more caring, kind and selfless young woman. However, Caroline soon breaks up with him after her transition into a vampire. Upon learning about the existence of supernatural creatures, he begins to distance himself from the Mystic Falls Gang, but eventually starts to help his friends defeat enemies that cause terror in their hometown, and also fixes his friendship with Caroline. He also becomes a Medium like Jeremy Gilbert. He began a brief relationship with Rebekah Mikaelson at the end of Season Four, but ended after she had left Mystic Falls.

Contents

History

Early History

Matt was born in Mystic Falls. He is the son of Kelly Donovan and an unnamed father. He had an older sister, Vicki Donovan. Because Kelly and Miranda Gilbert, who was Elena's adoptive mother, were best friends since high school, Matt knew Elena since infancy, occasionally sharing a crib. They grew up together, being really close childhood friends, and began dating in their teenage years feeling they owed it to themselves to try. When Elena's parents died, she broke up with Matt because she needed time alone to figure out her feelings. Matt still hoped they could be together, but it was not likely to happen due to Elena's instant connection to the new student, Stefan Salvatore. It's something he might still mourn about.

Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series

At the start of a new school year, Matt saw that Elena was strongly drawn to the handsome, mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore. He was jealous as he believed that he and Elena still had a chance to be together later. When his sister Vicki was attacked, he saw Stefan at the hospital but he mysteriously disappeared. Matt remained suspicious of him. Matt started to warm up to Stefan a little more when he joined the football team at school.

Matt was also grateful when Stefan found Vicki and she disappeared (when it was Damon Salvatore who took her. Matt still showed he had feelings for Elena and Bonnie tried to help him move on. Not long afterwards, Vicki went missing again. Along with search-parties, Matt tried to find her and was relieved when Jeremy Gilbert called him over to his house where Vicki was, where she was transitioning into a vampire. When she became a vampire, Stefan tried to help her, but when Vicki said he was bothering her, Matt told him to leave her alone.

When she disappearedagain, Matt was questioned by Sheriff Forbes of her supposed whereabouts, but like everyone else, he had no clue where she had gone. He found a note at his house "written" by Vicki that said she left town. At Caroline's party, Stefan explained to Matt that he was just trying to help his sister, but Matt told him Vicki was unreliable like her mother. Later, Caroline turned up drunk because she was heart-broken by something Damon had told her. Matt tried to cheer her up and eventually had to take her home. She did not want to be alone, so he had to spend the night with her, in her bedroom cuddling together.

Matt started working at the Mystic Grill. Caroline talked about a washed-out football player, Ben, and how he is working as a bartender. Matt was offended by this and Caroline left, saying that they didn't give each other a chance. Matt caught up to her when she was crossing the road, and Matt got out of his Ute and kissed Caroline in the middle of the crossing in the spot light of his lights from the Ute.

They started going out afterwards. They were caught in a heated moment by Matt's mother, who had returned home after her boyfriend left her. Kelly didn't like Caroline very much and called her "Matt's rebound girl". Caroline decided they go on a double-date with Elena and Stefan but the date went wrong for her when Matt and Elena went on about childhood memories. Stefan let Matt drive his car with Caroline but when they came back to the Salvatore Boarding House, Matt found his mom making out with Stefan's brother Damon. He was extremely upset with her, telling her that she was the adult and she should behave like one.

Double Date

Kelly and Matt were in for devastating news when Caroline and her mother Sheriff Forbes came with news that Vicki's body had been found in a terrible storm. Even though Caroline wanted to comfort him, Matt wanted to be left alone, but ended up crying in Elena's arms.

Elena comforts Matt.

His relationship with her mother took the final straw when he caught her making out with Tyler Lockwood. He and Tyler got into a fight which was stopped by Tyler's father Mayor Lockwood. When they got home, Matt told his mother to get out of his house because he was better of without her in his life. He did not accept her apologies.

Matt was supposed to be Caroline's escort in the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, but he could not make it due to his work schedule. He was with her for the Founder's Day Parade. He left the Mystic Grill with Tyler and Caroline when Mayor Lockwood asked them to leave because he was worried for his son's safety. When Tyler heard an unpleasant and painful noise, he sent the car off the road. All three passengers survived but Caroline had to be taken to the hospital for surgery. Her injuries were severe, and Matt, Tyler and her mother wait for any news of her.

Matt stayed the hospital to await Caroline's results from the accident. After a visit from Damon, Caroline started to get better quickly, much to Matt and Bonnie's great relief. Unknowingly to him, Damon had given Caroline blood to help her heal, but when Katherine killed her, Caroline became a vampire after drinking blood she found in the hospital. Matt visited her in the hospital, where he found her unhappy. He pulled back the curtains to bring light into the room, put Caroline ran to the shadows. He didn't understand what was happening and left.

At the carnival, Caroline told Matt she had been discharged early. He was happy about that when he gave her a hug, she began to act strange again, and he started to believed she was losing interest. He sneaked into her room to talk to her about how she was acting and he admitted that he was in love with her, and was afraid she didn't love him anymore but she proved him wrong by kissing him. They hugged and Caroline was able to resist the urge to bite him.

Matt with Caroline and Aimee.

Caroline's inability to go out in the sun put a strain on her relationship with Matt. Stefan convinced Bonnie to help her by creating another Lapis Lazuli jewelry piece. Aimee Bradley started flirting with Matt, annoying Caroline and she compelled her to go away and Matt thought she was being rude. Later on, Caroline asked Matt if he was mad at her and he admitted that he thought they were past her insecurities. He told her how he felt about her and asked what more she needed.

Caroline promised that she didn't need anything else and apologized, promising that there will be no more drama. They kissed and headed off into the woods together. They started making out but when Matt cut himself, Caroline lost control and attacked him. Stefan stopped her as a wolf attacked them, but at Tyler's arrival, it left. Caroline then compelled Matt to forget what she did and that an animal attacked him. At the Mystic Grill, Aimee started talking to Matt again. Caroline decided to break up with Matt and made a big deal out of it, forcing him to break up with her.

Matt helped out at the Lockwood Mansion for the Masquerade Ball, and discussed with Caroline's strange behavior with Tyler. Later on, Katherine is shown compelling Matt to have Tyler kill him at any cost because she needed a werewolf now that Damon had killed Mason. Matt almost breaks a fight with Tyler at the masquerade ball, but Caroline knocks him unconscious before
he has the chance to make Tyler kill him. Though he was stopped, another girl, Sara, who was also compelled, attacked Tyler after his failure and died in the process, thus activating his transformation. Afterwards, he is guilt-stricken by what happened, with no memory of being compelled to do so, and apologizes to Tyler. He later drops by Caroline's house to visit her.

Matt goes to kiss Caroline.

In The House Guest, Caroline sings to Matt and he kisses her in front of everyone in the Grill. They start making out in the bathroom, but are interrupted by the chaos caused by Jonas Martin. Caroline tries to fight him, but Jonas used his powers on her, Matt tried to save her, and Jonas stabbed him in the neck. As he was lying on the floor dying, Caroline gives him her blood to save him. After he wakes up, Caroline confesses to him that she is a vampire. Matt then remembers Vicki saying something about vampires when she had her accident and thinks that Caroline had something to do with it.

In Know Thy Enemy, Matt stays away from Caroline, he meets Sheriff Forbes and demands on how she covered up Vicki's death by the hands of a vampire. He then went to Caroline's house and demanded that she tell him what happened to Vicki and everything about her. After Caroline has told him everything, he tells her that he doesn't want to remember any of it because he doesn't want to look at her and see what she really is.

Matt and Caroline dance

After she compels him it was later revealed to be a setup by Sheriff Forbes to find out the information that Caroline knew of everything on vampires in town. Matt takes Caroline to the 60s Decade Dance under Sheriff Forbes orders, he is still having a hard time being around Caroline due to the fact that he still knows that she is a vampire as well as Tyler being a werewolf.

In The Last Day, Matt once again is talking with Sheriff Forbes. He later seems to have a change of heart and calls Caroline supposedly to tell her everything and then follows Damon. He finds Damon at the Tomb and sees him fight with the warlock Maddox. As Damon is losing, Matt kills Maddox using a rifle and wooden bullets afterwards Damon knocks him out. After he wakes up he witness Tyler werewolf transformation and runs with Caroline down in the Lockwood cellar.

Matt breaking up with Caroline.

In The Sun Also Rises, while protecting themselves from Tyler, he and Caroline had an honest talk about what happened. Matt tells her he can't handle the pressure of her supernatural life and just wants to be normal, Caroline is sad but agrees and they officially end their relationship.

Matt smoking with Jeremy at Elena's Birthday party

Matt is still working at the Mystic Grill, only this time with Jeremy. He was having a hard time seeing Caroline and Tyler together. He even asks Jeremy to switch waiting tables with him yelling out: "I don't feel like waiting on my ex-girlfriend". He later attends Elena's 18th birthday party and is seen smoking along with Jeremy. Later, he gets a ride with Jeremy to his house where Jeremy suddenly tells him that he can see Vicki.

Matt looks at picture of him and Vicki.

In The Hybrid, he is asking Jeremy more questions about Vicki and admits that he can't remember much when she was a vampire, and that he never got a chance to say goodbye. At first, Matt finds it to hard going through Vicki's things in his garage to try to contact with Jeremy. He gets overwhelmed and tells Jeremy that he can't do it, after seeing a picture of him and Vicki as kids. After Jeremy leaves, the picture flips from face-down to face-up. He believed Jeremy after that, thinking it was a sign, so he goes back to Jeremy's and tries to help.

Matt drowning in the school pool.

In The Reckoning, Matt is seen working out at the gym when he goes into a classroom where the gang is planing what to do for Senior's Prank Night, which he forgot was in motion. Later, he is helping Bonnie in the school pool room by putting toilet paper all over. And they later go to the gym where they see Klaus, witnessing him killing Tyler. Matt goes with Bonnie to help find away for Klaus to create his hybrids and to save Tyler. They discover ghost can help them, but can't get a hold of Jeremy, so Matt's decides to take one for the team by drowning himself and hopefully communicate with his dead sister, Vicki, who has been haunting him recently. He drowns himself, and Bonnie successfully performs CPR on Matt, thus granting him the ability to see his sister.

Vicki with Matt.

In Smells Like Teen Spirit, Matt is able to see Vicki now due to his near death experience. Matt talks with her and she tells him that she can come back. Later Matt performed some blood magic that allowed his sister to physically touch and hug things. Vicki used Matt because they're joined by blood. Matt loved his sister with all his heart and tried to protect her. The tender moment between brother and sister was interrupted when she bludgeoned him with a tool. When he woke, he realized the mistake he made and sought Bonnie's help Bonnie informed Matt that he's the only one keeping Vicki around, so Matt had to say goodbye. Vicki apologized, swore that she wouldn't hurt anyone if he let her stay, and cried as Matt let her go. Matt told Vicki that she shouldn't be here anymore, that he needs to let her go no matter how painful it is.

In Homecoming, Matt shows up at the Salvatore mansion to pick up Rebekah, his date, and his greeted by Elena, who nervously suggests that they go together as a couple as his back up date. Matt agrees. Later at the party he see Caroline on the floor and Tyler telling him to take her away from this place.

In Our Town, he helps Elena and Bonnie to surprise Caroline but after seeing she is not in the mood for a celebration, they decide to go to a graveyard to give her a funeral instead. During the party Matt talks with Elena and he discover she feels stuck and doesn't want to lose anyone else she loves. Later Matt and Elena go look for Caroline in the woods and Matt gets knocked out by Stefan. Matt later brings Caroline home after she has been bitten but Tyler. Klaus then comes by and Matt states that this is his fault, as Tyler would have never done such a thing to Caroline. He then meets Elena at Wickery Bridge.

Matt walks Elena Home

InBringing Out The Dead, Matt is seen comforting Caroline about her father dying, later he walks Elena home where they both find Alaric half dead and Elena explains to Matt why she needs to kill him. After Matt stays with Elena until Alaric comes back to life.

He is seen with Elena and then he drives home. At the Grill, he was approached by Rebekah, wanting him to be her dancing partner which he accepted. During the ball he danced with Rebekah and Caroline, asking her why she is here with Klaus. As Rebekah and him are taking an timeout they went outside where he got a blanket for her. As she originally intended to kill him with the assistance of Kol to make Elena suffer, she now backs out and they go inside. Matt meets Kol inside who introduces himself and crushes his hand. At the Grill Rebekah apologies for her brother's actions but Matt leaves.

Matt and Elena Jogging

In 1912, Matt is seen running with Elena and filling her in with the situation of Bonnie's mother: Abby had decided to complete the transition and Caroline was going to help her through it. Elena then receives the news that Alaric was arrested as a suspect in the murders of Brian Walters and Bill Forbes and the attempted murder on himself. Matt later helps Elena break into Meredith Fell's apartment to find proof that she, not Alaric, was the murderer. They find her cache, where she had been hiding a box in which she has the files of each victim and an old Gilbert family journal. They also find a corner's report saying that the time of death was actually earlier than the police knew which meant that Alaric had an alibi. Meredith then arrives home and they hide in the closet but she tricks them into coming out.

A furious Sheriff Forbes tells them that Meredith had already given her the corner's report and that it was being checked out and that she wanted them to go home and stay out of trouble. As Elena and Matt are going home, they stumble across Damon with Stefan feeding on a young woman. Matt takes Elena away and questions her on her feelings for both the Salvatores. She reveals that she fell for Stefan because, after her parents' death, she felt like he would never leave, like he would never die. As for Damon, she says that he snuck up on her and she just can't shake him. Matt says that that is what happens when you fall in love with someone.

In The Departed, Jeremy and him want to protect Elena, so Matt drives Elena out of town. Later, when they are driving back to Mystic Falls, Matt's drives off of Wickery Bridge in order to avoid Rebekah standing in the middle of the road. He almost dies until Stefan comes to their rescue. Stefan tries to save Elena first, but Elena insists Stefan save Matt first, resulting in her drowning.

In Growing Pains, Matt feels terrible guilt for his role in Elena's death and eventual transition as a vampire, and expresses this numerous times to people like Caroline and Jeremy. He is physically attacked by Damon, who blames Matt for Elena's death, and asks him why he gets to live and Elena doesn't. Matt tells Damon that there is no one in the world who feels more guilty about what happened than he does. He later leads Damon to Pastor Young's farm house out in the country, and is used as bait to lure the pastor out of his home. When Damon bites him, Matt is able to get away and into the barn where the pastor had been holding Stefan, Elena and Rebekah hostage in order to lure their respective families into a trap meant to kill them. When Stefan heals Matt of his bite wounds, he angrily tells Stefan to stop healing him, that he doesn't deserve it. Stefan then tells him that it wasn't his choice to save him first, but that it had been Elena's choice, and that he had to prove that he was worthy of that sacrifice by getting out of bed every day and making his life mean something.

Elena drinking from Matt.

In Memorial, Matt once again expresses his guilt to Jeremy, and is stunned when he and Jeremy see April Young, a girl that they used to know and go to school with. She is back in town for her father, Pastor Young's memorial service. Later at the memorial when vampire hunter, Connor Jordan comes to town and injures and holds April hostage in the Church during the service, the vampires there can smell the blood and know its a trap to kill them all. Elena, being the newest vampire, has a nearly impossible time controlling herself until Matt, feeling a sense of obligation to protect her, offers her his neck to feed on in order to satiate her thirst; she feeds and pulls back just before draining him of too much blood.

Connor hurting Matt

In The Rager, Matt meets Elena at their old make-out spot. Elena feeds on Matt (carefully, so she doesn't kill him) but she pulls away, feeling the bloodlust taking over. Matt is later seen at his locker, with Rebekah approaching him, inviting him to her party. Matt doesn't say anything and Rebekah tries to apologize to him for killing Elena and nearly him. Matt just walks away, but Connor stops him. The vampire hunter rips the bandage off from his wrist and sees bite marks. Then Connor forces Matt to tell him which one of his friends is a vampire, with Matt saying, "It's Rebekah. Rebekah Mikaelson." Later, Matt arrives at the Gilbert household. Matt lets Elena feed from him, but she starts drinking more. Matt tries to get Elena to stop, but she begins to feed even harder from him. Luckily, Damon intervenes and pushes Elena away from Matt. Damon then compels Matt to forget what happened and that he came over, Elena fed a little bit, and left.

In The Five, Matt receives a new truck from Rebekah, as an apology. Matt says if that's her idea of an apology, she should be apologizing to Elena. Matt is later shown to be talking to April, and is surprised that she is friends with Rebekah. He says it is hard to believe Rebekah would have a friend, and says that he's keeping the truck.

In The Killer, Matt, along with Jeremy and April, are held hostage at the Mystic Grill by Connor. When Matt and April are in the backroom, Matt tries to use the old wine cellar to escape from the Grill, but its bricked over. He starts to hammer at it, and Stefan, being underground, hears the noise and investigates. Matt and April hear an explosion and is startled by it. Stefan appears and tells the two to follow the map. Just before leaving, Matt warns Stefan that Connor is armed and he'll kill Jeremy.

Later, Matt and April walk over to Jeremy. April, who was compelled earlier to forget about the hostage crisis, says that went over to the Lockwood's house and talked to Caroline for a bit, but now she was thinking they could all go for some coffee. They see the Mystic Grill closed and April remarks that the Grill being closed is weird. Jeremy gives April his vervain bracelet, with Matt saying it looks good on her and she should wear it.

Matt with April and Jeremy

In We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes, Matt is with Jeremy at the Mystic Falls High School. Jeremy asks Matt if he can see anything on his hand (the Hunters' Mark), and he replies no. Later on in the episode, Matt shares some vital information with Damon - that April's father Pastor Young's phone records show he made a call a day to the same address for everything month, but on the day of the explosion at his farm, he called it ten times. To the office of Professor Atticus Shane.

In My Brother's Keeper, Matt seems to help with the preparations for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. There are few barrels that he and Jeremy had to grab, but Matt couldn't take them. He's amazed because Jeremy got a lot of strength after becoming a hunter. Later, Jeremy tells Matt that he has been having dreams of killing Elena. While the pageant takes place, Jeremy disappears and April is left alone, as Jeremy was planned to escort her, but Matt goes and takes Jeremy's place. At the end of the episode, Matt moves into the Gilbert house, to keep an eye on Jeremy.

In O Come, All Ye Faithful, Matt is at the Mystic Grill working. Earlier, Caroline compelled April Young to forget what she saw and heard in the girls bathroom and April runs out. Matt then tells Caroline that April can't be compelled since she's wearing the vervain bracelet Jeremy gave her.

Matt training with Jeremy.

In After School Special, Matt is helping Jeremy train at the Gilbert Family Lake House Jeremy and Matt kept on ordering pizzas, and Damon pays off the pizza girl to stop taking their orders, and then threatens them that they aren't allowed to eat if they don't stop training. Later, that night the pizza girl comes by the house and says that her car broke down. She asks Matt if she could use his phone to call a tow truck, and he goes to find his phone. The pizza girl tries to step into the house, but she can not get in since Klaus turned her into a vampire. Jeremy walks by and invites her in not knowing she is a vampire, she comes into the house and attacks Matt. Jeremy then stakes her, and his hunter's mark grows. Eventually, Damon, Jeremy, and Matt go to a bar where Klaus told them to meet up with them. They find out that Klaus turned a bunch of innocent humans into vampires for Jeremy to kill.

Matt running from the newly turned vampires.

In Catch Me If You Can, the episode starts from the last episode in the bar where Klaus turned a bunch of humans into vampires. Klaus tells Damon, Jeremy, and Matt that Jeremy has to kill all of the vampires, but Jeremy refuses too. Klaus then reminds them that the vampires are all in transition and that they're all hungry. Klaus tells Jeremy and Matt that he will give them a two minute head start, then he would compel the vampires to kill Matt, so Jeremy would have to kill them. Matt and Jeremy then start running back to the lake house. One of the vampires bites Matt, but Jeremy manages to kill it, and they start running again. Another vampire attacks Matt, but Elena arrives in time to save Matt. They eventually ditch the vampires and Elena takes Matt back to Mystic Falls. Matt, eventually, returns to work at the Mystic Grill.

Matt hearing the conversation

In A View To A Kill, Matt is shown playing video games with Jeremy. He was later told by Elena to help Stefan find the dagger in order to neutralize Rebekah before killing Kol. After arriving at the school, he hears the conversation between Rebekah and Stefan about how Rebekah wants the cure to be human so she can have kids with someone that she loves.

Matt grieving for Jeremy

In Stand By Me, Matt was called by Caroline. When he saw Jeremy, he was heartbroken and almost broke down but Elena consoled him. Later, he was seen with Elena in the Dining Room and asked her to come with him for a change and that Stefan will take care of Jeremy. In the Stoner Pit, he showed Elena the writings on the wall about Jeremy and Vicki. He told Elena that hope is the thing that keeps him going when he knew about Vicki's death. Later he dropped Bonnie near her home and told her to rest. After driving back, he stopped the car and grieved over Jeremy's death.

Matt hugs Caroline

In Bring It On, Matt is first seen at school approaching Caroline and asking if she has seen Bonnie who responds is 'still a little drained from everything'. Later, he sends a text message to Caroline to meet her at Tyler's house. When she arrives and is unable to enter the house, Matt appears and it is revealed Tyler sent him the deeds to the house, along with a letter addressed to Caroline. Matt hands her the letter, and comforts her when she tells him that Tyler is gone for good.

In Pictures of You, Matt attended the prom with Bonnie and Caroline. He was first seen with Bonnie, joking that he felt like he was at a practice for Caroline's wedding. They later run into an emotionless Elena and Matt tells her that hew would love to help her, but she tells him to spare her. Later Matt was alone when Rebekah comes to talk to him. She asks him what he would think if she was human, and he tells her that he doesn't as she wasn't a good person, hurting her.

Matt dances with Rebekah

Rebekah was later sitting alone and Matt asks her if she had seen Bonnie, and she tells him that she didn't know. She begs him to dance with her as it was a girl's worse nightmare to be left alone on a prom, and Matt finally takes her hand and escorts her onto the dance floor. She tells him that she kept thinking about what he said, and he asks her why his opinion is so important to her as he's just a bus boy, and she tells him that because he's beautifully human.

Matt and Bonnie as the prom king and queen

It was later announced that Matt and Bonnie were prom king and queen. They were later taking photos together when Matt left and Rebekah quickly went to talk to him to tell him that Elena was planning to do something to Bonnie. There a gust of wind and a loud, piercing microphone feedback and electrical sparks and Matt quickly runs to were Bonnie was. Bonnie told him that something was happening to her after Elena attacked her and she started doing magic, and he told her to quickly leave. April then enters the room were they were and Elena slams April's head onto the table and takes a bite out of her neck and falls in Matt's arms. Elena leaves. Matt was later seen with April on the floor trying to her to wake up. Rebekah comes to talk to him and is shocked to find April almost dead on the floor. Matt begs Rebekah to give her her blood, but at first she said that if she did Elijah wouldn't give her the cure, but he keeps begging her. It was later seen that she agreed to help him. Matt puts his jacket on April and goes to talk to Rebekah. He thanks her for helping April and for making the right choice, and he then says that maybe she wouldn't make a bad human. He promises her not to tell anyone, and then leaves to take April home.

In She's Come Undone, Matt is working at the Grill when he approaches Rebekah, who is doing shots at the bar. She tells him how Klaus and Elijah have gone to New Orleans and that she lost the cure to Silas. Matt tells her that he's sincerely sorry for that even when she accuses him of wanting to steal it to give to Elena. When she invites him to have a drink with her, he tells her he has to meet Caroline. Rebekah asks if they are still trying to get Elena to switch on her humanity; she comments that she likes Elena the way she is. Matt tells her that Elena was his friend long before she was Rebekah's "mean girl sidekick." He asks her why she's still in Mystic Falls if her brothers are gone and she lost the cure. He tells her he'd leave if he was her because some people are broke and failing their classes. Later, at the Salvatore Boarding House, Matt and Caroline are outside while Stefan and Damon are torturing Elena inside. Caroline wants to talk to keep their mind off the sounds coming from inside the house. Caroline tells Matt that she ordered him a cap and gown because she figured he'd forget. He tells her that they will get Elena back. Then, Rebekah shows up with burgers for Matt as a peace offering; Matt accepts them. Rebekah offers to help Matt study. When Caroline hears that Matt is failing, she leaves the house to go get study aides for Matt. In the living room, Matt tells Rebekah that he doesn't want to be stuck repeating his senior year while all of his friends go to college. Rebekah tells him that he's failing because he's been preoccupied with training Jeremy and dealing with Elena. She offers to compel him good grades and a scholarship, which he refuses. She tells him that she's grateful to him for convincing her to save April's life at the prom because it made her realize that she could be a better person. She tells him to accept her help and make something of himself. She tells her that anyone who would leave him behind is a fool and that she wouldn't. When Katherine shows up and tells Matt and Rebekah that she's there to help with Elena, Matt chastises Damon and tries to call Caroline. After Elena escapes the boarding house, Damon tells Matt to come with him to find her. When Matt finds her, Matt tries to convince her not to feed on him but she does anyway. Stefan and Damon show up and stop her. Damon tells her to turn her humanity back on or he will kill Matt. This causes Elena to turn her humanity back on. Luckily, Matt was wearing the Gilbert Ring. Later, when Matt comes back to life at the boarding house, Rebekah is there waiting for him. She tells him that Elena's back to normal and that he did a brave thing. He tells her that he owed Elena because she saved him from drowning. Rebekah tells Matt that she can't apologize enough for running him off the bridge or Elena becoming a vampire, but that she will spend every day until graduation trying to pay him back.

In The Walking Dead, Matt and Rebekah confront "Kol in the Grill. Matt is injured, but Rebekah attends his wound. When they are leave from the Grill, Alexander, Connor, and Galen appear and Rebekah and Matt are captured.

In Graduation, Matt and Rebekah are prisoners of Alexander, Matt can not escape, because it is standing on a bomb. Matt decides to save Rebekah, and she tells him that he has to go to his Graduation, while she deals with Alexander.

Matt getting possessed

In I Know What You Did Last Summer, since graduation Matt has been touring the world with Rebekah and even met another girl named Nadia, but returns to Mystic Falls once their summer of fun is over. He is helping out at the End Of Summer celebration and Rebekah approaches him, where the two make out. The Original tries to convince Matt to come with her to New Orleans but Matt tells her that he needs a job and that he must face reality. At the celebration, Nadia catches Matt's eye and he follows her into an alleyway, where she returns the Gilbert Ring to Matt after robbing him and Rebekah. Matt intercepts the ring and a man emerges, grabbing Matt's head and casts a spell on him. The last shot of Matt shows his eyes turning black before collapsing on the ground.

Matt and Bonnie

In True Lies, Matt and Jeremy are tasked by Damon to keep Katherine safe from Silas. He interrupts a brawl between Katherine and a local woman compelled by Silas and takes her at gunpoint. Stopping at a convenience store for gas, Katherine is recognized by the attendant and Matt knocks him out before he can alert Silas to her whereabouts. Later, Matt is holed up in the woods with Jeremy and Katherine hiding from Silas. Silas arrives at their location and attempts to use his mind control on Matt. His mind tricks are unsuccessful and Matt yells to Jeremy and Katherine to escape. Curious as to why his mind control didn't work, Silas probes Matt's mind and realizes that Gregor has already possessed him. He snaps Matt's neck before resuming his chase for Katherine. Matt's Gilbert Ring saves him and he awakens on The Other Side. There, he meets up with Bonnie and learns more about the Gilbert Ring and the Other Side. During their conversation he realizes Bonnie is dead. The two share an embrace as he finds his body to return to the real world. Matt is awoken by Jeremy and he remembers nothing about his experience on the Other Side.

Matt waking up on the floor

In Original Sin, Nadia confronts Matt outside the Mystic Grill. He angrily berates her for messing with his head and demands to know why he's having blackouts. She responds by phrasing a codeword which causes Gregor to emerge from Matt. Gregor is also angry with her for killing him and wants to know where his body was buried. Nadia reminds him that this is all according to plan. Later, Matt wakes up on the floor covered in mud and wonders how he got there.

Possessed Matt on video

In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Matt tells Jeremy that he's freaking out and wants to show him something. When Jeremy arrives at the Lockwood Mansion, Matt shows him a dagger that he found in his pocket and tells him that he's been blacking out. Jeremy inquires about the Gilbert Ring Matt wears, and Matt responds that the Gilbert Ring has nothing to do with the blackouts. Jeremy notices Matt has set cameras up all over the house to help him figure out how he's losing time. Matt asks if Bonnie can help with his problems but Jeremy quickly evades the subject and leaves. Matt later wakes up from a nap and notices his hand is cut. Replaying the video from the camera he set up, he watches himself answer the phone. Matt is perplexed as he sees Gregor take control of himself and grab the dagger from the desk. Gregor speaks into the camera and tells Matt to protect the dagger at all cost while cutting his hand as a warning. Later, Matt is present while everybody is paying their respects to Bonnie. He is noticeably upset and in tears during her memorial.

In Dead Man on Campus, Matt is serving drinks to Katherine at the Mystic Grill. Katherine is obviously drunk and he tries to cut her off; telling her she's starting to annoy the other customers. While replaying a video of himself transforming into Gregor, Katherine overhears and is piqued. She tells him she will help him out if he keeps pouring her drinks. She tells him a little about The Travelers and their ability to possess people. Matt asks about Nadia and Katherine mentions she knows her. Later, Matt is led into a room where Nadia, Katherine and Stefan are. Nadia summons Gregor per her mother's request. It is revealed the dagger that is in Matt's possession is the only thing that can disperse a Traveler's essence from it's host. Katherine plunges the dagger into Matt, freeing him of Gregor's possession.

Matt training Katherine.

In Fifty Shades of Grayson, Matt is tasked by Katherine to help her get back into shape. After a six second handstand, Katherine falls to the ground. Matt tells her it was a nice try but Katherine says it was a horrible attempt and wants to prolong her death as long as possible. Matt sarcastically says it will happen, but Katherine couldn't hear what he said. She panics, thinking that she's losing her hearing and her body is falling apart. Matt gives her some water and tells her to take deep breaths. He asks her why she just doesn't ingest vampire blood but she says she's already tried and her body keeps rejecting it. Nadia arrives and slaps Katherine across the face for leaving a suicide note, much to Matt's amusement.

Later, Nadia is waiting for Matt outside the Mystic Grill. She mentions they met in a similar place but Matt says he's put it behind him. Nadia then asks if Matt will keep the Traveler's knife if Katherine decides to try Traveler possession. Matt wants nothing to do with the dagger, saying he just recently got rid of it. He tells Nadia that Katherine only cares about Katherine. Nadia responds that she spent 500 years looking for her mother and now that she's found her, she's going to lose her already. She goes on to tell Matt that she doesn't know if she should hate Katherine or be at her side as she's dying. Matt's interest is piqued and he sits down across from her. He explains that he understands what it's like to have a negligent and absentee mother. Nadia replies that he must know what it's like to hang onto the hope that just once, their mothers will do the right thing. Matt puts his hand on Nadia's to comfort her and tells her that he'll keep the knife in case Katherine changes her mind.

In 500 Years of Solitude, Matt is kidnapped by Nadia and hidden in a safe underground. He is then saved by an old friend. Matt is later seen back at the Salvatore Boarding House and welcomes back Tyler.

Matt and Katherine as Elena

In The Devil Inside, he meets Katherine in Elena's body and she tells him that she is Katherine and would like to ask questions about Elena's life. As he refuses she compels him to keep her secret and asks him whatever she wants and he tells him. When he leaves, he finds Tyler in his house and decides to throw him a welcome party. He invites some vampires to his house for the party (Caroline, Stefan, and Elena/Katherine). When Katherine is worried about others finding out about her, she uses compulsion to ask questions for his guidance to be more like Elena.

Matt drinking with Tyler and Nadia

In Total Eclipse of the Heart, Katherine continues to use Matt as her source about Elena. While Matt is working in the bar and talking with Tyler, Nadia is always close to him so she could compel him anytime and ask questions Katherine needs. They soon are all drinking together and gossiping about their mothers, until Tyler needs to use the restroom. When Tyler sees that Nadia is compelling Matt he tells him to drink vervain so she couldn't use him anymore. When he leaves the bar Nadia comes to her and compels him, but he is wearing vervain and resists her compulsion, now Matt is sure that Nadia is compelling him. Nadia leaves and Matt is going to tell Tyler all he knows, but Nadia returns and snaps Tyler's neck and forces Matt to convince Tyler that everything is okay. Matt does as he is told and Tyler advises him to stay away from Nadia, and after it is done he leaves with Nadia. In the car Matt tells Nadia that he knows that she wasn't talking with Elena, and reveals that he suspects that Katherine is passenger in Elena's body.

In No Exit, Matt is with Nadia who tells him that Katherine is in Elena's body. Matt is compelled by Nadia to invite her in. He tells Tyler and Caroline there's nothing to worry about. He and Nadia play cards, then she checks to see if the vervain is in his system and it isn't. He says since he won't remember anyway, he decides to make out with her. This is actually just a ploy so he could contact Caroline and tell her to help him and warn her about Katherine. He is discovered by Nadia and before she does anything, she compels him to forget and that they had sex.

In Gone Girl, Matt is with the rest of the group and deciding when to kill Katherine. He is with the rest when Katherine comes to see Nadia. When Katherine goes to each of them, she tells Matt that he was the best one night stand that never happened. When Nadia's body is still on the couch, he is told Stefan is going to bury somewhere and Matt says that she deserves better and he'll do it.

In While You Were Sleeping, he and Jeremy are watching Damon and giving him his daily blood. He later has Matt and takes off the ring, telling both of them to let him go.

In Rescue Me, Damon desperate of his relationship with Elena goes to the Grill to talk to Matt and Tyler.

In Resident Evil, in the episode, Liv enlists Matt, Jeremy and Tyler to help track the Travelers and keep them from taking control of Mystic Falls and wants to stab him with the Traveler Dagger to make sure he's not possessed, to which Matt stabs himself and Liv makes a comment on how he has too much testosterone and little brain cells.

In Man on Fire, Damon looks for the Traveler Knife and goes to Matt's place to ask for it. Matt and Jeremy though are also looking for it all over the house and can't find it. They tell Damon that Tyler told them it was in the house but they didn't hear from him since then. Damon puts the pieces together and realizes that Tyler must have been possessed by a Traveler.

In What Lies Beneath, Bonnie and Jeremy try to have a romantic weekend just the two of them, but Jeremy gets a text from Matt and they have to go home. Jeremy leaves and Bonnie's grandmother, Sheila appears to her to warn her that she has to tell Jeremy the truth about the Other Side falling apart and not giving him hope that she will find a way to stay alive.

Matt with Jeremy and Stefan.

In Promised Land, he and Jeremy are enlisted by Damon to get the Travelers in the Salvatores' house. Jeremy finds Damon running in the street and picks him up and they go and find Stefan, Elena, Caroline and Matt. Matt and Jeremy decided to go back to Mystic Falls while the rest should try to get as far away as they can. Damon and Elena leave with Jeremy's car while Stefan and Caroline stay behind to wait for Bonnie.

In Home, Damon explains that for his plan to bring everybody's loved ones back, they will have to kill many travelers so they can pass through Bonnie and their friends can pass through her to come back, like Markos did. Liz will have to gather all the travelers at one place. Matt and Jeremy will cause a gas leak, head out of the town and then somehow they'll explode the place where the travelers are gathered. At the same time, Liv will start the resurrection spell. Jeremy worries about what will happen to Bonnie when everything is in motion, but Bonnie reassures him that everything will be fine.Meanwhile, Jeremy and Matt navigate the caves under the city, trying to find the gas line. Liz successfully gathered the travelers at the Grill and tries to find a way to leave before Markos figures out that something is going on. Markos suspects something, so Liz stays for a drink to convince him nothing is happening. Matt and Jeremy find the gas line, break it to cause the leak and they leave.

In I'll Remember, four months after Damon and Bonnie's death, Matt never left Mystic Falls, instead he joined a volunteer neighborhood watch, led by Tripp. Later, Elena's victim, Sarah, falls into Matt's arms who looks at hew would on her neck and realizes that it's a vampire bite. He quickly covers up the bite before anyone can see and volunteers to take her to "the hospital". Instead of taking her to the hospital, he takes her outside the boarder and to Caroline where she compels her to forget ever being bitten.

In Yellow Ledbetter, Matt, while volunteering for the neighborhood watch, finds out that his mentor, Tripp, while on the phone with him is up to no good, not only isn't he really a Cooke, but is really a Fell.

In Welcome to Paradise, Caroline calls Matt telling him that Elena is not herself, and that its not just because Alaric compelled her to forget that she ever loved Damon. Later, Matt falls for Tripp's "red mulch" story when he catches him and Jay hosing Tripp's van down. Matt was convinced that Tripp was trying to do something good for the town. At the swimming hole, Tyler and Matt meet up with Elena and Caroline who are doing Jell-O shots while Caroline continues to be clueless about her and Damon. Later, Matt learns that his friend, Jay, is a vampire hunter when he dumps Enzo's body in the back of Matt's truck.

Matt with Tripp.

In Black Hole Sun, Matt sets out on a mission to find out what Tripp knows. Matt was "surprised" when Tripp told him that Jay was tracking a vampire. Tripp then takes Matt to his secret holding cell in the woods, where he is holding Enzo. Tripp tells him that he was compelled by a vampire who killed his wife, he believes that vampire was Enzo. Matt then watches in the background as Tripp interrogates Enzo claiming that he killed Jay, and telling him that tell him of all of his vampire friends, starting with the one who attacked Sarah.

Matt comforting Jeremy.

In The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get, Matt is first seen in the holding cell, in the woods feeding Enzo some of his blood. Enzo tells him that he will need more if he is going to escape. Matt refuses, Enzo threatens Matt telling him that if he doesn't help him he'll expose Caroline, Stefan, Elena and all of the other vampires that he knows. Just then, Tripp walks in and tells Enzo that he has one last time to tell him all of the names of the vampires he knows before he drives him over the town line, into Mystic Falls, killing him. Later, Matt tells Caroline and Alaric that Enzo had been captured by Tripp. Caroline is mad at him for not telling her, Matt responds saying that he didn't know who was good or bad. Stefan then walks in and announces to everyone that he was responsible for handing Enzo in to Tripp. Later, in Tripp's office, Matt is looking through his things trying to find some clues, however he can't find anything. Sarah walks in and surpluses him claiming that she was looking for information on her parents and the 'Animal Attacks'. Matt helps her out by telling her where she can find what she's looking for, he just asks that she doesn't tell Tripp about him being there. Sarah picks up a picture of Ivy on a file, Matt on the phone to Caroline, sees that Caroline's number, name and picture are on the top of Ivy's phone call list and tells Caroline that he thinks that she's Tripp's next victim. Matt, later takes Sarah to Stefan and Damon Salvatore's house and tells her of who's house this is. He says that "Where ever they go, death and pain always follow" and that if she is looking for a family, she should look elsewhere. They both find Jeremy attenpting to cancel Bonnie's cell bill but can't remember the pin for her phone. Matt then tries to calm him down.

In Do You Remember the First Time?, Matt, first captures Tripp and restrains him in his own cell. Along with Stefan and Enzo, they interrogate him to try and get information about other vampires hunters. he then states that they know about Caroline. Stefan goes to find out if Caroline is okay. After finding out that the hunters have Liz captive and demand a ransom, Tripp for Liz. They then take Tripp to the town boarder where they exchange, however soon as Tripp crosses, he suddenly dies. Proving that at just before the exchange, Enzo turned him into a vampire.

Matt with Enzo.

In I Alone, Matt is seen burning the last that remains of the community protection group while Sarah, awaits Matt's help into looking into her family. Matt and Sarah wait to meet Stefan at a diner near Whitmore. Enzo drops by shortly before Stefan, who then arrives and meets his cousin of sorts.

In Stay, Matt assists Enzo with keeping a watch on Sarah. While Matt and Sarah are talking, Matt gets a phone call from Enzo. He then gets run over by Enzo, and Enzo heals Matt with vampire blood in front of a frightened Sarah. Matt also says goodbye to Jeremy.

Matt at the funeral.

In Let Her Go, Matt and many of Caroline's friends stay over at the Salvatore Boarding House. In the morning, Caroline tells everyone that she wants her mother to of had her funeral and be in the ground by the day is up. She then gives Matt and everyone tasks to do. Later, Matt is seen walking up the steps to Liz's funeral when Tyler comes wobbling up the stares drunk. Matt refuses to let him go inside and tells him to just go home and that Caroline doesn't need anything else to worry about. Inside the church, Matt sits with his friends and at some point cries.

Matt in the hospital.

In I Never Could Love Like That, Matt and Tyler are trapped with a humanity-less Caroline and Stefan. Caroline threatens to kill one of them if they don't answer her questions correctly. Neither Matt or Tyler could answer her last question, therefore she decided to kill them both, with the assistance of Stefan. Tyler gets angry and tries to stake Caroline, but she grabs Matt and essentially uses him as a shield, resulting in him getting stabbed. Matt is later visited at the hospital by Elena, and refuses her blood to heal him. He tells her that he can't hate vampires but also use them to his advantage at the same time.

In I'd Leave My Happy Home For You, Matt is at the Salvatore Boarding House. Celebrating Alaric's bachelor party. He is getting very drunk and picks a fight with Tyler. He then has a talk with Alaric. He tells Alaric that all of their friends are killers. He warns him. And tells Alaric that Jo, Alaric and their baby aren't safe. He tells Alaric after he marries Jo. They should leave town.

Matt unconscious.

In I'll Wed You in the Golden Summertime, Matt is seen with Bonnie at the Salvatore Boarding House. Bonnie tells him that Caroline is going to kill them if they are late to the wedding, but Matt isn't phased. They realize that Lily has gone missing, and then they are both choked nearly to death by a mysterious figure. Matt regains consciousness and goes over to Bonnie, who tell him she knows who it was.

Matt saying goodbye to Elena.

In I'm Thinking Of You All The While, Matt and Bonnie take a look at the video Kai leaves behind for them, and they realize that Kai linked Bonnie and Elena's lives together. Later on, Matt lets Elena into his thoughts and him and Elena are standing on Wickery Bridge, saying a tearful goodbye to each other. He tells her that there's a good chance that he'll never see her again. She hugs him and tells him that they've been through a lot together and that she likes their odds. In a flash forward scene at the end, Matt is scene patrolling the city in his uniform.

Personality

"Because you're everything that I want to be. You're loyal, honest, kind. People root for you to succeed. Elena even died for you."

Matt is everyone's definition of the "everyday man". Out of the characters, he is the most "normal"; he does not possess any supernatural attribute, nor any supernatural artifact that makes him stand out of the rest of humanity and he wants it to stay that way (at least until he was given the Gilbert Ring previously worn by Jeremy). He is, however, aware of the supernatural world and has more than had his fair share of skirmishes with them in the past.

Matt is often seen by some people as a person who only cares about the sport, however, he is just the opposite, Matt is strong because he wants to protect his family and friends from the dangers that threaten them every day.

As far as personality goes, Matt is loyal, headstrong, and down-to-earth. According to Vicki, Matt is the "golden child" of their family, with a good future ahead of him. These qualities make it very hard for other characters not to like him, and he has captured the hearts of several females throughout the series.

Physical Appearance

S4 Matt Donovan

Matt is a very handsome young man, who stands at approximately 6 feet tall with baby blue eyes and short dark blonde hair. He has an attractive face and can be considered as the stereotypical football player in regards to his personality and physical looks.

Matt's hairstyle over the seasons has remained similar, shortened with not much length except his hair was somewhat longer in the first season. On special occasions, Matt has been shown to gel his hair such as for the 60's decade dance, for a more formal style.

His clothing sense is that of a typical teenager, for school as he played football, he used to wear the school Timberwolves jacket however usually wore a range of different colored t-shirts and jeans with boots or sneaker shoes. Lately, he has been wearing checkered button-down shirts with a t-shirt underneath or shirts with an unbuttoned collar. He also wears a heavy jacket with hoods or light weight jackets, both of which are usually a darkened color. Working at the Grill, Matt has a uniform which consists of a dark blue t-shirt and black trousers. On occasions, he regularly wears a dark tuxedo and trousers with a tie.

Relationships

"I'm glad you pulled it together. The thing is, Ty, I get it, alright? We've all been through so much that it's bound to make us a little crazy. But I was thinking, you know, watching the way all those cops honored her today, I want to be a part of something like that. So I talked to one of the deputies, and he gave me an application. There's this, uh, officer training program. Seems pretty cool, you know, like something I'm supposed to be a part of. I got one for you too."

Matt and Tyler are best friends, and have known each other for a long time. They were both on the football team, and they both also fell in love with Caroline, which strained their friendship for a while. In season six, Matt decides to join the police academy, and gets Tyler to join him.

Vicki is Matt's older sister, although it often seemed like the other way around since Matt was the one looking after Vicki, due to their mother not being around. Vicki started to act erratically after she turned into a vampire, which made Matt think she was on drugs. After Vicki's death, Matt believed that she had run away, until her body was found. In season three, Matt was able to see Vicki after Esther performed a spell and tried to bring her back, but he had to learn to accept her death. When Matt temporarily died in season five, he saw Vicki and tried to keep hold of her, but she reminded him that she was already dead and let go.

Elena and Matt had a relationship throughout most of high school, but she had broken up with him after her parent's deaths. At first, it was evident that he still loved her and was jealous of her new relationship with Stefan Salvatore, but they remained good friends throughout the rest of the series. When Rebekah drove Elena and Matt off of Wickery Bridge, she had Stefan save him before herself. When Elena lost her humanity, Matt was the person who had flipped her switch after Damon had snapped his neck while he was wearing the gilbert ring. When Matt said his goodbye to Elena after she was put into a sleeping coma, she told him that she hopes he spends his life fighting for people like himself: human, loyal, and kind.

"It means that...you almost died and it really freaked me out and it got me thinking you know 'cause... I'm not in a position where I can lose someone else right now. I realized, even though today I wanted to throttle you, I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with you and now it seems like you don't feel the same way."

Matt and Caroline have known each other since first grade. At first, he didn't like her very much, but they began to grow closer and started a romantic relationship. Their relationship was strained due to Caroline's frequent jealousy over Elena due to her and Matt's history. They start to drift apart after Caroline becomes a vampire, and also after she starts getting closer to his best friend, Tyler. They break up, and although they aren't together anymore, they still remain good friends.

Matt and Rebekah's relationship was strained at first, especially after Rebekah drove him and Elena off of Wickery Bridge, killing Elena and almost killing Matt. She makes several attempts to make amends with Matt, but he's cold towards her. At Prom, she dances with Matt and tells him that she wants to be everything that he is, which is beautifully human. She tries to be a better person and continually tries to prove it to Matt. After they are in a dangerous predicament with Alexander, Rebekah takes Matt's place on the trigger that sets off explosives. She kisses him and tells him to run so he won't miss graduation. She vamp speeds away, and the bomb detonates, but neither of them are hurt. She then goes off with Matt, and they spend 3 months traveling together before she joins her brother in New Orleans.

Novels

In the novels, Matt's surname is Honeycutt, not "Donovan", and like the series, he is Elena's ex-boyfriend. Vicki is also not his sister in the novels. Matt Honeycutt's father is dead and his mother is only briefly mentioned and is completely dissimilar to Kelly Donovan.

Name

Matt is a masculine name of Hebrew origin. It is from the Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ(Mattiyahu) which means "Gift of Yaweh". Matt is a variation or short form for Matthew. In the English meaning, it means "Gift of God".

His third "death" occurred in "True Lies". Silas snapped his neck, because he couldn't control him since he was already possessed by The Travelers.

Matt's first death was "natural" in contrast with his second death caused by "supernatural" causes. This is similar to the character of Buffy Summers who has also died twice. Like Matt, she was drowned causing her first death while her second death was also supernatural: she was killed by mystical energy.

In the books, Matt's surname is Honeycutt, but in the TV series, his surname is Donovan.

Matt was almost killed by two of his ex-girlfriends after they've been turned into vampires, the first being Caroline in Bad Moon Rising and Elena in The Rager.

In the series, Matt is aware of four people he knows turned into vampires, werewolf and a hybrid: Vicki, Caroline, Tyler (werewolf/hybrid) and Elena.

In the series, Matt was the second-to-last main character to learn about the supernatural world (before Jenna) and he is the last character to have learned this to be still alive since Jenna died one episode after.

Matt is not the brother of Vicki in the books. In the television series, he is Vicki's brother and takes care of Vicki and his mother Kelly .

In the series, he often shortens people's names, as well as Damon, but with nicknames -

Vicki "Vick"

Tyler "Ty"

Jeremy "Jer"

Caroline "Care"

Bonnie "Bon"

Kevin Williamson commented on the character Matt, saying "There's a door there, that we will eventually open, but for now he's human."

Although Matt's feelings for Elena are a major recurring theme in the first season, they have seemed to have completely vanished to make way for his new feelings for Caroline, which become a major plotline in the second season particularly since Caroline is now a vampire. However, in the books, Matt's feelings for Elena never seem to go away and play an even stronger role since he still has feelings for her when he discovers the existence of the supernatural world.

Matt is the first main character to be possessed by someone through Traveler magic, the Passenger spell.

Matt is the first and only character shown to be immune to Silas's mind control, however this is due to him being possessed by Gregor at the time, the presence of another individual inside his mind prevented Silas from controlling him.

Matt is the first non-supernatural character who has shown to have been The other side when killed by supernatural entities while wearing the a Gilbert Ring. He is also the first non-supernatural character who passed through Bonnie upon death. After his third death wearing a Gilbert Ring in Resident Evil , Matt became the first wearer of Gilbert Ring to retain his memory or experience from the other side .

Matt is similar to Damon in respect of their relationships with women.

After six seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Matt remains the only main human character.

It was revealed that Matt could bench press more than Jeremy.

Who can speak a language Matt Donovan can understand? The Maytag Man can. Eureka star Colin Ferguson, most recently seen as pitchman for Maytag, appears in the premiere as Tripp, leader of a local watch group that gives Matt something to do with his time, what with the absence of immediate threats on his life."He came about because we wanted to show Matt thriving in Mystic Falls without supernaturals," Dries said of Ferguson's character. "Every episode Matt is having his life in jeopardy or somebody's threatening to kill him or something. So it's like, 'What's Matt's life like when he can just not have to have a death threat every five minutes.' We kinda wanted to give him a father figure-type, coach kinda guy, so that's where Trip came out of. But it's Mystic Falls, The Vampire Diaries, not everyone is who they say they wanna be, but he'll ultimately become kinda an interesting, layered dynamic character that's not necessarily a good guy or a bad guy. He actually represents I think like a normal person if you're not in love with Damon or Stefan, like a normal person's point-of-view on the whole vampire world."

Matt is the only main character whose father is unknown.

Quotes

Tropes

Elena's former boyfriend, hasn't given up hope yet - which makes him a Dogged Nice Guy .

He is pretty much a Generic Guy , with no special qualities - except being human .

His life sucks most of the times: We don't even know if he knew his father ;his mother is an Alcoholic who left him for a boyfriend in Florida; his sister Vicki was a drug addict who got turned into a Vampire by Damon because he was bored then staked by Stefan. Ah, and Vicki came back as a ghost. She was persuaded by Esther to try and kill Elena!

Like most of the main cast, he even died once. But he was revived.

By Season Four he is the only one in the cast member to remain human, so he is the Token Human, which in this case is also a Token Minority.

He's often called as The Quarterback, or Matty (Which he is affectionately called by Vicki).